Crescent rushed down the path only slowing to catch her breath. Forty minutes! She’d been gone forty minutes! If Twilight and the others weren’t wondering what had happened to her now, Crescent was certain they were now.
That could be explained, probably. Crescent tried not to think about what sort of excuse she’d have to come up with to explain her absence. “Right now get the letter. Then worry about Twilight. It’ll be worse if she finds out about that from somepony else than wondering what you were doing running around town without her.” Crescent tried to assure herself as she stepped out into Ponyville.
She found Market Street and followed until she reached the end of it. There was a big supply store at the end. It read Barnyard Bargains. Crescent nodded and started looking around for the post office Fluttershy said was near there.
After a few minutes, Crescent found it tucked around the corner. It wasn’t terribly busy from the looks of it. Only a few mail ponies were around, they were strapping a series of straps over a large crate. Crescent waited just a little bit longer until the pegasus mail crew flew off with the crate. Then she walked forward into the post office. A bell clanged as she walked in.
“One second.” A voice came from the back, then a crash, a few letters floated out of the backroom. Other letters were scattered around the post office and a few packages were still lying around the room. Crescent walked in and looked over the counter nervously.
A grey pegasus staggered out from the back shaking her head. She looked over at Crescent or Crescent thought she did. Her eyes were a bit funny. One seemed to look off to the side and up a bit while the other looked down. The pegasus walked up and smiled at Crescent.
“What can I help you with today miss!” She said cheerily.
“Uh…” Crescent shook herself away from looking at the pegasus’s eyes. She adjusted her glasses and tried not to look at the eyes too closely. She noticed a nametag that read ‘Derpy’ and focused on that instead. “I was wondering if any mail had come for Princess Twilight.” Crescent said.
The pegasus blinked. “You’re not the princess.” Derpy responded pointing at Crescent. She flared her wings out. A pile of letters and scrolls was knocked off the counter. “She has wings.” Derpy said like that was obvious. Then she shook her head and pointed at Crescent again. “And you’re not purple.” She looked back at Crescent. “A mail mare can not give any letters to anyone they’re not for.”
“I know I’m not the princess.” Crescent said mildly annoyed. This was going to be a bit harder than she’d thought. She’d thought that she could just pick up the letter and walk away. “She’s just busy and asked me to pick up her mail for her.” Crescent lied hoping that was enough of a reason for Derpy.
Derpy frowned. “The princess never picks up her mail.” Derpy scratched her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever even delivered a letter to her.” She said.
“Could you just tell me if there is a letter?” Crescent asked. “You don’t have to give it to me just tell me whether she has letters or not.” She asked. It might work, since Derpy wouldn’t be giving anything to Crescent. There was also a chance there’d be no letter and Crescent could just leave.
Derpy looked over her shoulder. “I’m not sure I can do that.” Derpy looked back confused. Crescent waited. “I don’t think there’s anything bad about knowing if she has mail.” Derpy shrugged and walked into the back. More scrolls scattered as she left the room.
Crescent waited as a few crashes and even a few chicken squawks came from the back room. “Now how did that happen?” Derpy asked over her shoulder as she walked back to the counter. She looked back at Crescent. Crescent adjusted her glasses and looked at Derpy’s name tag and waited.
“She does have a letter.” Derpy said then yawned and stretched. “Would you mind telling the princess that we will have it delivered to her by this afternoon with the second mail shift?” Derpy asked. Derpy looked at the scattered scrolls and letters around the counter. “Now what happened here?” She said and began trying to stack the scrolls and letters.
Crescent was lost in thought. So there is a letter. Now how do I get to it? She thought. She noticed Derpy trying to stack the rolled up scrolls on top of each other and they kept rolling off each time she let go of them to put more on. Crescent looked at the back room door and an idea occurred to her.
“Can I help you with that?” Crescent asked.
Derpy looked up. “You want to help me?” She asked and tilted her head.
“Yes.” Crescent said, looking at the back room.
Derpy thought for a second then shrugged. “Well okay. Just no reading letters.” She lifted part of the counter up and let Crescent walk through. “Just stack them back on the counter.” Derpy said going back to scooping up the various fallen items. “They haven’t been sorted yet so it doesn’t matter how they’re placed.”
Crescent kept the scrolls from rolling off the table each time Derpy let go of them. Then she rearranged them so they wouldn’t continue to roll off. She stacked some in pyramids, others were stacked perpendicular to each other, and one she constructed like an octagonal tower.
“Wow.” Derpy said looking up and down the mini-tower on the counter. She placed the last few letters down next to it and managed to not knock any of the new piles over. “Well thank you for your help miss.” Derpy said smiling at Crescent. “It’s alright now you can go.”
“What about the back room?” Crescent asked looking over her shoulder.
Derpy looked past her towards the back. “Oh right.” She said and walked back there. She stuck her head around the corner. “How did this place get to be such a mess?” Derpy asked. Crescent rolled her eyes. Derpy looked back around at Crescent. “Do you promise not to read any ponies mail?” Derpy asked.
Crescent nodded and raised a hoof. “I promise.” She said. I need to get that letter and I won’t be reading it anyways. She thought.
Derpy nodded back. “Then you can help if you want.” She waved Crescent into the backroom. Crescent trotted in, picking up some of the scattered letters on her way over.
The back room was covered in scattered letters, scrolls, and more than a few packages. Crescent noticed that one corner at the far side of the room had a stack of items listed as fragile. Derpy was over at a wall that had dozens of slots in it and was carefully putting letters into it. She waved Crescent over.
“Just put the letter into the slot with the same name.” Derpy said as Crescent walked up. Crescent quickly began sorting through the letters in her hooves. Mr. and Mrs. Cake, Spoiled Rich, Vinyl Scratch… she thought through each name, slowly working her way over to where she thought Twilight’s mail would be. She kept an eye on Derpy trying to fit another letter into a slot.
Here it is. She thought as she reached the slot labeled Twilight Sparkle. The slot was empty. Crescent stopped then looked out at the floor covered in letters. Oh dear. She thought. Derpy had knocked the letter out and now it was somewhere in this pile of letters. Crescent dropped to the floor and began sorting through the letters. Maybe a little frantically.
Derpy looked over at her. “What are you looking for?.” Derpy asked looking over suspiciously.
“Nothing.” Crescent responded, forcing herself to look through the letters slower.
Derpy shrugged and returned to sorting the letters. “Well, thank you for helping me.” Derpy said. Crescent mumbled “You’re welcome.” back. She was busy trying to focus on finding Twilight’s letter from the hospital. Derpy continued talking as she worked. “Do you like sorting letters? You really did a good job stacking those scrolls. I mean that tower was amazing!” Derpy said throwing her hooves in the air, scattering several more letters.
Derpy scooped the letters back together and started putting them back into their slots. “I wish I could do stuff like that.” Derpy said wistfully. “We’re always short on sorters, and my boss doesn’t usually let me sort them.” Derpy said looking annoyed. “I can’t imagine why.” Crescent noticed Derpy put a letter in sideways, bending it. “I usually do deliveries, but we had a big order that needed most of the crew so I got to stay behind today!” Derpy said cheerfully.
Crescent stopped for a second. “So you guys need sorters?” She asked. She flicked a few letters into their proper places.
“Yeah, we always seem to need another pony sorting, or at least each time I check it seems like it.” Derpy said. Crescent put more letters back, quickly scanning each name and snapping it into its right place. It actually is quite interesting. She thought. Some of the names were really interesting: Bulk Biceps, Dr. Hooves, Minuette, they were all quite interesting. She was a little irritated about putting everything away the same way.
“Do you always sort the letters this way?” Crescent asked as she kept putting letters away.
“No. The sorters usually sort them into bags.” Derpy scratched her head. “I think they sort them how they want. Since it’s such a small town I can usually reach anypony fairly quickly even if the way the letters were sorted that day was off.” Derpy smiled. “Though I’m quite good at getting ponies their letters.” She said.
“Really?” Crescent asked. Sorting letters was actually starting to sound like a good idea. She was supposed to be looking for something what was it again? She absentmindedly kept putting the letters away.
“Yeah! I really am quite good at finding ponies and delivering letters.” Derpy said cheerily puffing out her chest. “I’ve always managed to deliver my letters to the right ponies.” Derpy stopped. “Though sometimes I get a bit excited. Like that time when I was looking for Starlight and saw her in the balcony room over at the castle. I think I could’ve handled that landing better.” Derpy said looking a little downcast. Then she snapped back up smiling. “But she got her letter!” Derpy said grinning widely.
“You sound like you just get carried away doing things. That’s not a problem.” Crescent said. Derpy looked more clutzy and absentminded to Crescent than anything else, but that probably lent more to her getting carried away than anything else.
Crescent and Derpy actually talked for a while as they continued putting the letters away. Crescent actually liked the honest, slightly unpredictable pegasus. After they finished putting the letters away Crescent talked with Derpy about applying to the post office.
“Really! You’d really like to work here?” She asked happily.
“Yeah I think I’d like it.” Crescent said. They were back in the front. Derpy had pulled out a basket of muffins and the pair were munching on a few of them. “It seems like a good place to start here in Ponyville. I think I’ll enjoy the work and I’ll be able to see more of the town.” Crescent said.
Derpy was happily munching on a muffin and didn’t respond. After a hearty gulp she opened a drawer in the counter. Crescent put a hoof out, to keep the scrolls and letter from falling. “Here it is.” Derpy said holding a small sheet of paper. “If you fill this out and bring it back tomorrow I’ll bet you can get started right away.” Derpy grinned.
Crescent took the paper. She folded it up and was about to thank Derpy when the bell for the door rang. She turned right as Derpy spoke. “Good afternoon Princess!”
Crescent froze. Oh Celestia! I forgot the letter. She thought.